I am shocked and devastated to hear of Ilmo’s passing. Ilmo and I were colleagues at Google, and we last spoke a few weeks ago, just as he was about to embark on a new role at the company. I was very excited that Ilmo was about to join a “super team” of quants. Every time we worked together, Ilmo was a calm, reasoned, and witty presence, and I was always grateful to have him on the team.

My first ever interaction with Ilmo was when I joined Google. In response to my introduction email, which stated that I liked to garden, Ilmo wrote something about wishing me luck with my very specific plant hardiness zone. It made me laugh and also made me feel very seen and understood on an intimidating new team.

Much love to Ilmo’s family. He will very very much be missed.

-Pratima

Pratima Arapakota